Learn More: Tourist ETA

In January 2012, the Department of Immigration and Emigration of Sri Lanka introduced the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system for travelers visiting Sri Lanka. Travelers from almost any country in the world can now apply online without having to visit an embassy or consulate.

The ETA is an official authorization for short-term visits to Sri Lanka and is issued electronically. Applicants will receive their visas via email after completing the application form with the necessary information, and once the online payment is completed. Simple, right?

Required Documents to Apply

Passport Personal Details Scan (if applicable)

Important Instructions

The ETA is limited to 30 days in Total of stay in Sri Lanka from the date of arrival, and allows for two (2) entries.

Important: The validity of the Visa for the two entries is 30 days and starts on the first arrival date. This means the departure date for the second entry must be within 30 days of the first arrival date.

The information entered will be sent electronically to DI&E (Department of Immigration & Emigration) and we will send your Sri Lanka ETA online via email.

Travelers who want to visit Sri Lanka must have a passport valid for at least 6 months from the planned date of entry.

We suggest passengers verify the information, print it out, and bring a physical copy on their trip. The check-in staff at the airports can also verify the registration on their system. However, we highly recommend that clients keep a copy available on a personal electronic device in addition to carrying a printed copy.

You cannot obtain a new ETA while you are in Sri Lanka, regardless of whether your current ETA is valid or expired.

Nationals of Yellow Fever affected countries must carry a yellow fever vaccination card at the time of arrival in Sri Lanka. See Yellow Fever countries here.

NOTE: Citizens of the Republic of Singapore, the Republic of Maldives and the Republic of Seychelles are exempt from obtaining this visa (meaning they can travel there without applying for a visa)

The Tourist ETA to Sri Lanka is valid for 180 days after issued. This means you must enter to Sri Lanka within 180 days after issued. It is a Double entry visa and allows for a maximum stay of 30 days in Total

A visitor wishing to stay more than 30 days in Total in Sri Lanka may apply for an extension. The ETA may be extended for up to 180 days after issued from the date of arrival on the first visit, and a further 180 days after issued on the second visit. Application for an extension must be submitted to the visa section of the Department of Immigration.

Sri Lanka is an exotic destination that despite its history, some of it quite recent, it has become a common vacation location that a lot of people enjoy. It is not quite India, but not the rest of Asia either. The people are nice and you can find a million things that you can do to relax or have some fun. You are an adventurer? Sri Lanka fits your destination profile. Do you want to enjoy yourself at the beach all day? Sri Lanka is perfect for that as well. The point is that Sri Lanka is not a destination that you should overlook the next time you are after the ideal vacation. Even so, there are a few things that you should know before you go there. Stick around and find out.
There is this common misconception that Sri Lanka is not a safe place to travel to. That was true until 2009 because Sri Lanka was in a horrible civil war, but that was almost a decade ago. Since then, the tourism recovered, and it is pretty safe to spend your vacation there. You still need to express some caution, but that is something you do anywhere you go. Some petty crimes do happen from time to time, but that happens everywhere. Just keep your expensive items close to your body, and you should be just fine. To be honest, it is more dangerous to cross the road in Sri Lanka than anything else. So, make sure to look both ways twice.
People in Sri Lanka are nicer than you would expect. Why would someone expect otherwise? War usually changes people, but the one in Sri Lanka have chosen to put the past behind them and make the best of what is going on in the present. As a result, they will welcome you wherever you may want to go, and they will always have a contagious smile on their faces. You will leave the country with a case of a chronic smile. And that is a fact.
However, you should pay a lot of attention when you are talking about the past in Sri Lanka. People are lovely, but they are sensitive when it comes to their lost family and friends. That is natural if you think about it. Plus, do not engage in any political discussion that can lead to the subject of war. It is best if you avoid the topic altogether. It is okay to ask general questions about their family and whatnot, but you should stop there. You do not want to open old wounds.
As for communication, the people of Sri Lanka will do their best to talk to you. Some of them speak English, but you can help them. How? They like to practice their English with tourist. If you want to help a child or an adult improve their English, you should take the time when doing it. Just have a conversation. It is a win-win situation. You socialize with the locals and have some fun, and they learn something new. It is quite entertaining, and many tourists who travel to Sri Lanka will start a conversation with a random local just for that reason alone.
The food in Sri Lanka is delicious, but only if you stick to their specialties. You will not find good burgers or high-quality pasta, but when it comes to Sri Lankan food; your taste buds are in for a treat. Not all restaurants will be up to your standards, but one trick to find the best ones is to eat the restaurants preferred by the locals. The reason the people of Sri Lanka do not cook Western food is that the ingredients are expensive, and most likely they need to leave the island to buy them. Even so, if you ever find yourself in Sri Lanka, it would be a pity to eat Western food. Stick to the specialties. You will not regret it.
One aspect that you will not like is the hygiene. However, you need to remember that Sri Lanka is a developing country with tourism still improving. Plus, they are recovering from a war, and things do not change overnight. As long as you bring your own toilet paper, a hand sanitizer, and you do not drink tap water, you should not suffer from any disease. Plus, avoid shady street vendors with no people in line for their food. That is a clue that their food is not exactly edible.
Before leaving Sri Lanka, you should take your chances and go to see the wildlife. People usually overlook this aspect, but if you are lucky, you can come face to face with a herd of elephants. It may not be the Great Migration in the Serengeti, but it is still wildlife, and it counts. Also, if you plan on going sightseeing, you should hire a guide to show you all the best places. In fact, most tourists do this so that they can explore as much and as efficiently as possible. The service is not very expensive, and the guide will take advantage of the opportunity of practicing his or her English.
Even if the tourism in Sri Lanka is still growing, you should know that a trip can be quite expensive. There is this rule that islands have higher prices than on the mainland. It is pretty obvious why. Most of the goods are imported. Hotels can be expensive too, but if you book in advance, you may get a discount.
Sri Lanka is definitely a country that is worth considering. It has a lot of beautiful landscapes, the people are incredibly nice, and you can enjoy a lot of attractions. Just make sure that you follow some basic rules, and you should have an exciting time. Whether you want to relax on the beach at a luxury resort, or you want to go and check out the wildlife, you will create unforgettable memories.

An e-Visa is an official document permitting entry into and travel within a certain country. The e-Visa is an alternative to visas issued at the ports of entry or visiting an embassy/consulate to obtain traditional paper visas.
e-Visas are linked electronically to the traveler's passport.

Our service starts with information. You can use our up-to-date visa requirements tool to search if you need a travel visa. It's as simple as telling us where you are from and where you are going. Based on this information we will tell you how much the visa costs, the number of entries, the start date and give you an action step such as applying directly on our site!

The best place to find this information is our visa requirement tool. Each country has different entry rules and visa fees. If you are in a rush you can also apply online and the form will give you this information as well.

It depends on the country issuing the visa. For many countries such as Australia ETA and Turkey e-Visa, the process can be done in 15 minutes through our rush service. For other countries such as the India tourist Visa, the process usually takes 24 hours. The exact time can be found on each application form. What we guarantee is that your application with iVisa will be the fastest way to apply anywhere.

We help you get your travel visa in the simplest and fastest way possible. Through easy-to-use online application forms and world-class 24/7 customer service, we make the whole visa process quick and simple! We also use best practices when it comes to protecting your data and credit card.

Please note most countries offer the ability to process a travel visa without a service fee. The main reason we process thousands of travel visas per month is we save you time and frustration. Our service includes an easy to use website and application form. It is much easier to process your application with us especially for mobile users and large groups. We send all of our clients the visa days before travel. This is especially helpful for those passengers who purchase the visa months in advance. We also have a 24-hour customer service with professionals that are based in the United States and speak English. We accept multi-currencies and our website can be translated into over 20 languages. We believe our fee is worth your time and sanity but please note all governments do have their own "free" service.

If you have already applied on our site, please log in to your account and look for your order/application. An account is generated for you automatically after payment is received. Click the link in your confirmation email to set up a password or visit the log in page to set up the password and enter the account. Please note in most cases your visa will be delivered to you via email and can be found in your account after logging in.

This is a rare scenario. However, if your application gets rejected, we will issue you a full refund for the government fee and the processing fee under our 100% approval guarantee. This refund will be given via credit to be used for a future order.
If you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us. Our customer service specialists will be more than glad to help you.

If we have not processed your visa, we can make changes without a problem. We do check your information for mistakes as well. If you have already processed your visa, If we have submitted your application to the appropriate government agencies, some will allow to make changes, while others do not. Please contact us immediately (preferably through chat) if you notice an error on your application.

Some countries may require proof of yellow fever vaccination if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. You can see more info here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list
It's the passenger´s own responsibility to verify these regulations before traveling to the chosen country.

We know that our applicants can come across unexpected changes in their travel plans that may prevent them from traveling and therefore getting their visa. This is why we understand you may want to request a cancellation of your visa application and a credit for the amount paid. However, we will only approve the refund/credit if it follows our Refund policy guideline:

If your application has not been reviewed by our team, nor submitted to the government for approval, then you will receive a credit for the full amount of the iVisa processing fee and government fee(visa cost).

If your application has been reviewed by our team but has not yet been submitted to the government for approval, you will receive a credit for the full amount of the government fee (visa cost).

If your application has been submitted to the government for approval or a visa is already issued, unfortunately, no credit is available.

Our policy also applies to these circumstances:

If we make a mistake on your application, a 100% refund of the iVisa processing fee will be issued and we will process your visa again at no cost.

If you purchase rush or super rush processing additional fee and we do not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a credit for the iVisa rush or super rush processing fee.

If you miss your trip because iVisa does not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a full cash refund for the government fee and iVisa processing fee.

The exception to the clause above is if the government is the cause of the delay or your arrival date was sooner than our super rush processing time. In such case, you will receive a credit for the iVisa processing fee.

If for any reason, you are not satisfied with our services, please feel free to contact us. Under reasonable circumstances, we will grant a credit of the iVisa processing fee to be used for a future order.

When the visa has to be shipped to you, the processing times do not include this shipping time. It is from when we receive your application to obtaining the approval.
Most visas (e-Visas) are sent via email upon approval so shipping times will not apply.

All citizens from these territories applying through our website will have their application processed with the nationality/citizenship specified in their passport. As an example, a traveler from Puerto Rico will have their request processed as USA nationality. This does not apply to the travelers under the BOTC (British Overseas Territories Citizen) category according to the British Overseas Territories Act of 2002.